Weather Matters

Category: Record setting weather

Prior to this year, the latest the temperature ever dipped below 60 in West Palm Beach was Dec. 12. (Credit: NWS-Miami)

The New Year’s Day cold front has been postponed due to circumstances beyond the National Weather Service’s control.

Forecasts are tweaked daily as new information comes in and computer models parse updated information. With the new year just three days away, it appears that the much advertised cold front won’t cool things down much until at least Sunday — or maybe even Monday.

The latest New Year’s Eve forecast calls for a Palm Beach low of 74 and a New Year’s Day [More]

Florida temperatures are forecast to return to close to normal in early January. (Credit: NOAA/ CPC)

The big story this week will be out with the old and in with the new — a new weather pattern, that is.

“Confidence is increasing that a cool-down is on the way for the beginning of the new year,” National Weather Service forecasters said in their morning analysis.

January is the coolest month of the year and often features Arctic wallops that drive overnight temperatures down into the 40s. But don’t expect that with the cold front due to arrive on Friday night. Instead, look for [More]

Air conditioners continue to hum a summertime tune 24/7 in Florida from Jacksonville to Key West.

More warm temperature records were tied or broken around the state Wednesday, one that had been standing for more than a century.

Wednesday morning’s low at Palm Beach International Airport, 73, was 2 degrees shy of the warmest low for the date set in 2006. But the low this morning at PBIA was 77, and that should bust the previous mark for Dec. 24 of 76 set just last year.

The high was 83 at PBIA; it was 84 in Palm Beach after a low of [More]

METEOROLOGY MEETS THE MOVIES: Playing on the Star Wars theme, National Weather Service forecasters assessed the U.S. and Florida’s year-end heat wave Hollywood-style. (Credit: NWS-Tampa)

Expect a slightly busier Atlantic hurricane season in 2016, but still below normal, the United Kingdom’s Tropical Storm Risk said in its December outlook.

TSR, a consortium of tropical cyclone forecasters and insurance industry and risk management experts, is calling for 13 named storms next year, five hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Their forecast was for the Accumulated Cyclone Energy Index — which evaluates the strength and duration of tropical storms — to be 78 percent [More]

Florida could be dealing with unusually wet weather through March, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said in a new long-range forecast issued today.

Florida’s East Coast has struggled with drought off and on all year, but December is already guaranteed to go into the books as exceptionally wet, and that trend could continue into early spring, according to forecast maps.

Through Wednesday, Palm Beach International Airport has measured 5.53 inches of rain this month. 3.83 above normal for the first half of December. The new forecast for January — and [More]

Nature will deliver a celestial gift on Christmas morning — a rare full moon.

The last time there was a full moon on Christmas was in 1977 and the next time it happens will be in 2034. The moon will reach its peak at 6:11 a.m. EST on Dec. 25.

Long-range forecasts suggest that the astronomical show should be visible on Florida’s East Coast, with partly cloudy skies overnight and during the early morning. Moonrise on Dec. 24 is 5:12 p.m. with sunrise on Dec. 25 at 7:06 a.m.

The December full moon is known as the Full Cold Moon, according [More]

Dew points are expected to plunge on Saturday as a cold front clears the state. But the cooler and drier weather may be temporary. (Credit: NWS-Tampa)

The Palm Beach area is in uncharted territory after breaking the record over the weekend for the latest sub-60-degree temperature. The question now is: Will the long string of warm nights continue all the way into the Christmas holiday week, or are changes finally on the horizon?

There are indications that open window weather may pay Palm Beach a visit next weekend — but as usual, it’s likely to be brief.

Strong easterly winds will create hazardous marine conditions off the South Florida coast. There is also a high risk of rip currents. (Credit: NWS-Miami)

Another day, another warm temperature record.

The latest date for West Palm Beach’s first temperature below 60 degrees is Dec. 12, 1994, the National Weather Service in Miami reported on Facebook. “With today’s low temperature not expected to get anywhere near 60 degrees, it’s virtually assured that this record will be broken today,” forecasters said.

The last time the temperature dropped below 60 degrees at Palm Beach International Airport was on March 31.

The eastern U.S. may enjoy above-normal warmth into the new year, according to the Climate Prediction Center. (Credit: NOAA/ CPC)

It’s going to be a warm weekend in Palm Beach with highs around 80 — which is not all that unusual. But exceptional spring-like warmth is expected to take hold in much of the country this weekend.

The Chicago area is anticipating highs in the 60s. That’s so rare that temperatures have reached 60 or higher only 56 times in December. The National Weather Service is expecting highs in the mid-60s on Saturday and Sunday, which would easily put temperatures into [More]